A Conference In Memory of David Ellenson:

David Ellenson was a perpetual student and scholar of halakhah (particularly of modern responsa), who explored how halakhists interpret and shape halakhah in response to modern challenges to Judaism and Jewish identity. Ellenson saw halakhah as being challenged by modernity, but also as a canon of literature and mode of discourse that could fruitfully bridge tradition and modernity. Ellenson’s wide-ranging publications include: (1) studies of German Orthodox halakhists’ 19th and 20th c. responses to conversion, intermarriage, nascent Reform, and the tension between academic and traditional modes of study; (2) analyses of responsa by contemporary Israel-based halakhists; and (3) studies of contemporary appreciative readings and assessments of the work of contemporary feminist halakhists and legal scholars. We have invited major contemporary scholars of halakhah to present original research that builds on these or related aspects of Ellenson’s immense and influential legacy.

Primary Language

Hebrew

Speakers

• Alyssa Gray, Ph.D., Hebrew Union College; Chair
• Professor Rabbi David Golinkin, The Schechter Institutes
• Professor Ronit Irshai, Bar-Ilan University
• Rabbi Dr. Alona Lisitsa, Hebrew Union College
• Professor Zvi Zohar, Bar-Ilan University

Venue

Taube Family Campus

David Ellenson was one of the most wide-ranging and creative scholars of modern Jewish thought of his generation.  His scholarly oeuvre ranged from detailed analysis of the growth of Reform and Orthodoxy in Germany, Wissenschaft des Judentums, American Jewish thought, the intellectual history of Zionism, and religious and legal thinkers in Israel.  A characteristic feature of his work was to consider both the evolution of ideas in their discrete context and their impact on the contemporary world.  This panel will bring together distinguished scholars of Jewish thought to reflect on David Ellenson’s contribution to the field, as well as on the key topics and issues animating it today.

Primary Language

Hebrew

Speakers

• David N. Myers, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles; Chair
• Professor Julie Cooper, Tel Aviv University
• Professor Moaz Kahana, Tel Aviv University
• Dr. Melila Hellner-Heshed, Shalom Hartman Institute
• Professor Menachem Lorberbaum, Tel Aviv University

Venue

Taube Family Campus

Meals are not provided during the conference. Registrants are invited to enjoy lunch on their own.

Brandeis University Press are publishing a collection of essays by David Ellenson entitled The Challenges of Sovereignty: Essays on Israel and Zionism. Edited by David N. Myers and Michael Marmur, the book comprises thirteen pieces drawn from David Ellenson’s prodigious bibliography, and it is hoped that it will be available by the time of the conference. The articles are organized under three rubrics – Envisioning Zionism, Liturgy and Halakhah, and Law and Democracy in the State of Israel. With a general introduction and short explanations of each of the essays, this book aims to bring together some of the most penetrating and thought-provoking explorations of Israel and Zionism in Ellenson’s remarkable oeuvre. Since David Ellenson’s death, many of the themes explored in his work have assumed greater urgency and a grim resonance. These include the obligation to redeem captives, the moral basis of pre-emptive strikes, and the relationship between Judaism and liberal democracy. Eminent colleagues and students of David Ellenson will consider David Ellenson’s abiding concern with the topics of this book and consider the significance of his approach at this critical time.

Primary Language

English

Speakers

• Rabbi Talia Avnon-Benveniste, Hebrew Union College; Chair
• Dr. Iddo Haklai, Brandeis University
• Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Hebrew Union College
• Professor Yehudah Mirsky, Brandeis University

Venue

Taube Family Campus

The impact of David Ellenson’s loss continues to impact those who knew and loved him. The legacy of his life, his work and his leadership have not yet been sufficiently considered. In this panel, leading figures from a range of disciplinary backgrounds will consider his impact on fields such as Jewish education, modern Jewish history, and rabbinic education. In his own scholarship, David Ellenson would often draw on diverse aspects of his subjects’ life – the institutional and the ideological; canonical text and historical context; intricate details and the broad sweep. How might David’s own life and work be considered employing similar perspectives? For many, it was the magnetism of his personality and his concern for students, colleagues and friends which impacted them more even than lectures and articles. In this panel, the legacy of these less tangible interpersonal relationships will also be considered.

Primary Language

English

Speakers

• Rabbi Michael Marmur, Ph.D., Hebrew Union College; Chair
• Professor Shmuel Feiner, Bar-Ilan University
• Dr. Michal Muszkat-Barkan, Hebrew Union College
• Rabbi Rafi Ellenson, Congregation Shir Hadash

Venue

Taube Family Campus

Meals are not provided during the conference. Registrants are invited to enjoy lunch on their own.

David Ellenson was both a product and a leader of American Jewish life. Throughout his adult life, he was also passionately connected to the State of Israel. This panel is chaired by Dr. Nachman Shai, who currently holds David Ellenson Deanship of Hebrew Union College’s Jerusalem campus and a former Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs. He will be joined by Israeli luminaries on the frontline of Israel-Diaspora relations, including former MK Dr. Ruth Calderon, MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv, and Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman. They will grapple with some of the most unsettling and urgent questions of this critical moment – has the decades-long paradigm of Israel-Diaspora relations broken down irrevocably? If so, what is likely to replace it? Are generational, ideological, and cultural divides unbreachable? In the spirit of David Ellenson’s own blend of sociological insight and personal commitment, this closing panel brings David Ellenson’s legacy into full view and sharp focus.

Primary Language

English

Speakers

• Dr. Nachman Shai, Hebrew Union College; Chair
• Dr. Ruth Calderon, Former Member of Knesset
• Dr. Donniel Hartman, Shalom Hartman Institute
• Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Member of Knesset

Venue

Taube Family Campus

While A Conference In Memory of David Ellenson: Assessing His Impact, Advancing His Legacy is free of charge, we encourage you to make a gift in memory of David.

To learn more about supporting the Ellenson Endowment, please contact Melissa Greenberg, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, at greenberg@huc.edu.

Each scholarly session will be recorded. At the moment, the conference will not be Livestreamed. Please check back for updates.